Those nine are good to go. Joey Logano has a victory but it was encumbered, which means it doesn’t count towards the playoffs because his Team Penske Ford failed inspection after he won at Richmond.

So, that leaves seven playoff spots open and 12 races to fill them. It’s possible there will be seven first-time 2017 winners over the next 12 races. Not likely, but possible. Here’s who I think are the seven drivers most likely to win in the regular season for the first time in 2017 and as a result make the playoffs.